Most Controversial Open-World Games, Ranked

Open-world gaming has become so mainstream that most titles will try their hardest to stand out in some way or another. Great gameplay and stories are welcome, but some games also benefit from a bit of controversy to increase the number of eyes on their product.

While some people agree all publicity is good publicity, some controversies may be hard to justify, ranging from excessive in-game violence to reprehensible actions by creators. Thankfully, the majority of these open-world games are great to play despite the amount of controversy they caused at launch.

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8

Mercenaries 2: World In Flames

Venezuela Didn’t Love That Players Killed The Country’s President

Mercenaries 2: World in Flames is a rather by-the-numbers open-world game that players can enjoy if they love destruction physics on a ridiculous scale. To most, the story is nothing to write home about, but its themes didn’t sit right with the Venezuelan government.

Venezuela made accusations about how Pandemic Studios was working for the U.S. government and drumming up support to fight against Hugo Chavez, the then-president of Venezuela. It didn’t help that the company had made a game for the U.S. Army before this title. This prompted Pandemic Studios to release a statement downplaying any parallels to real life, with their commitment solely to making this experience fun for players.

7

Grand Theft Auto 5

The Infamous Torture Mission Led To Heavy Criticism

Grand Theft Auto 5 was a landmark release that showed the amazing technical capabilities of Rockstar’s new engine, which required a jump to a whole new console generation to show off its full depth. But as one might expect, Grand Theft Auto 5 also became the source of controversy because of a torture mission that was admittedly a bit too gratuitous.

In one mission, players use a bunch of torture instruments on an innocent civilian who reveals the information required for Michael to take out his target. While the outcry was justified to an extent, it was surprisingly muted compared to the reactions people have had over other aspects of the Grand Theft Auto series in the past.

6

Hogwarts Legacy

Drew Attention To J.K. Rowling’s Bigoted Views

Hogwarts Legacy went through the wringer before its release for reasons completely unrelated to the gameplay itself. Rather, questionable statements made by series creator J.K. Rowling caused people to boycott the game’s release, not wanting her to profit off the game’s success.

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While it’s true that J.K. Rowling’s heinous views deserve to be criticized, people had mixed opinions about Hogwarts Legacy becoming the source of this derision, with many pointing out that the developers didn’t deserve to be punished for Rowling’s regressive views. Still, Hogwarts Legacy‘s sales have made it clear that it’s one of the most successful video games ever made.

5

Bully

Rockstar’s Reputation Stirred Controversy In A Game About High Schoolers

Rockstar is one of the most controversial video game developers of all time, and it was only a given that their efforts to tell a story using high school students would rile up their detractors. Despite Bully being an excellent open-world game that made the most of Rockstar’s strengths, the violence that players could inflict as a high schooler didn’t sit right with many.

The game also lets players give roses to characters and kiss them regardless of their gender, which back in 2006 generated controversy as well. For what it’s worth, this particular outcry was mostly a product of its time, and takes nothing away from Bully‘s incredible gameplay.

4

Palworld

A Huge Controversy Surrounding Its Inspirations From Pokemon

One of the biggest games around, Palworld has taken the world by story with its unique take on Pokemon with guns. However, Nintendo clearly isn’t flattered by this title and has sued them for copyright infringement, which in itself has caused a ton of controversy in the gaming world.

There’s some debate over how ethical it was for Palworld to emulate a ton of what makes Pokemon successful (to the point where the monster designs look eerily similar). Still, the idea that it should be illegal for any company other than Nintendo to feature a gameplay loop where players trap monsters by throwing a ball at them just feels wrong. If Nintendo wins this lawsuit, it will set a dangerous precedent for the future that may encourage other big companies to stifle creativity.

3

Cyberpunk 2077

A Broken Launch Ruined CD Projekt Red’s Reputation

Given the incredible reputation CD Projekt Red enjoyed with the release of The Witcher 3 and its expansion packs, it’s easy to see why the hype was through the roof for this title. The marketing sold this game to the moon and back, only for the final release to royally disappoint fans.

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Cyberpunk 2077 was a broken mess with unfulfilled promises that tanked CD Projekt Red’s stock price and turned them into the target of justified lawsuits. It took a long time for this game to turn its reputation around, since Cyberpunk 2077‘s disastrous launch was easily the biggest gaming controversy of 2020.

2

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

A Mod Uncovered A Scrapped Minigame That Caused Major Controversy

San Andreas is one of the most popular video games ever made, with many people considering CJ’s adventures to be the very best the GTA series has to offer. However, the game also landed in hot water when a mod uncovered in-game assets that were covered up at the last second.

The Hot Coffee mod lets players initiate a clunky intimate encounter with CJ’s girlfriend at the end of every successful date. It looked horrible and led to a ton of controversy. Eventually, Rockstar had to outright remove these assets from the game to avoid the dreaded Adults Only rating.

1

Postal 2

Heinous Violence Drew A Lot Of Negative Attention

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Most people know of Postal 2 simply because of the controversy it generated. The game was meant to serve as a parody of American society, but all of this was overshadowed by the negative PR this game received when news outlets jumped at the prospect of highlighting the over-the-top violence in this title.

Many people were horrified to see the level of violence in this title, as the Postal Dude could carry out some heinous acts as he went on a rampage. Some of the violence may be unjustified, and it’s definitely not for everyone, but many fans can look past the controversy to enjoy a genuinely fun game with some entertaining missions.

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